


City by the Bay

by ashtronaut (apsijfhiKFJASHpSJ340985OHa)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Male Character, Comedy, Hijinks & Shenanigans, San Francisco, Still entertaining, but nothing too bad or too far, everyone's at least 17, most of the main cast is here, questionable villainry pertaining to minors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 09:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 16,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apsijfhiKFJASHpSJ340985OHa/pseuds/ashtronaut
Summary: Neji gets jutsu-ed to modern-day San Francisco, and his Very Millenial(tm) San Francisco version replaces him in Konoha. Shenanigans and drama ensue.This fic has been sitting in my Google Drive for five years. I've long since left the fandom, and never finished it. That said, it was too entertaining to leave unposted.





	1. Prologue

Konoha

“You can come out now,” Orochimaru purred from the clearing just outside of his hideout. Kabuto stood beside him, wearing an expression that poorly concealed his own amusement. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, presumably deep in the bowels of the cavern. 

Konoha’s Team 9 waited in the tree canopy on the opposite end of the clearing.

“How could he have seen us already?” Tenten whispered to Rock Lee and Neji Hyuuga. “Do you think we can get out of here and wait until Sasuke leaves the hideout?”

“Orochimaru won't let us leave. We don't have a choice in the matter.” Neji replied with finality.

“Then there is only one option!” yelled Rock Lee as he vaulted off of the tree. The tree branch shook with his decreased weight, followed by Neji and Tenten’s. Lee threw off his leg weights mid-jump, which slammed into the ground with a crash of debris, heralding Lee’s no more refined arrival. Neji landed next to him with considerably more grace. His dojutsu flared briefly as he looked up from the landing. Tenten landed a measured distance behind them.

“Where is Sasuke Uchiha?” Lee bellowed. “Return him to our village, the Hidden Leaf!” 

Orochimaru chuckled. “Why, he's in there. I thought you knew that. Why else would you be here?” His voice trailed off, as if prompting his subordinate to continue.

“And Sasuke won't return. He simply doesn't want to.” Kabuto finished.

“We'll just have to take him by force!” Lee yelled. 

“I remember how that turned out for you last time-” Kabuto started before quickly drawing his scalpel as a defense.

The vanguard duo leapt in trained synchronicity at their respective foes. Lee closed in on Kabuto quickly, covering the distance with the speed of fiery youth, while Neji moved towards the Sannin with a few quick strides. It would be unwise for him to stay back due to both the nature of the Gentle Fist, and because his opponent was supposedly a master at mid-range combat.

Orochimaru grinned a bit in surprise at the direct approach, encountered so little by those who knew of his prowess, and this surprise gave Neji a slight upper hand during the first few minutes. He was able to land one or two thrusts--inconsequential, but perhaps annoying if the fight lasted for a while--before Orochimaru’s snake jutsus forced him to defend. Nevertheless, Orochimaru seemed  impressed as he dodged a few of Tenten’s shuriken while trying to slip around the Hyuuga’s maneuvers.

“Kabuto, wasn't there a new jutsu you wanted to try out?” he asked between moves. “The Hyuuga and I seem to have reached a stalemate.”

“You don't mean…?” Kabuto smiled, though it appeared as more of a grimace due to his exertion from dodging Lee’s maelstrom of punches and kicks. “I thought you wanted to keep him?”

“It's all right. We have Sasuke. You can have your fun.”

With that, Lee redoubled his efforts. Chakra raced through and around his body, causing his fists to become blurred with speed. 

“Fifth Gate: Gate of Closing: Open!” 

Kabuto flew across the clearing as Lee’s fist connected with his stomach. He only stayed conscious thanks to a quick save by Orochimaru, who summoned a snake to cushion the impact while simultaneously jumping backward to avoid Neji’s opportunistic jab.

Kabuto stood up against the snake's friendly coils. Now a good distance away from the immediate threat and with some protection against a probable charge from Lee, Kabuto started a sequence of hand signs.

“Hidden Jutsu: Universe Shift!”

The ground Neji stood on immediately became white and noncorporeal, and he barely heard Tenten’s gasp of shock as he plummeted through the earth like a rock through a cloud. 


	2. Chapter 2

San Francisco

Tuesday, August 25th. A cold fog fights against the rising sun in the early hours of the morning as the city of San Francisco begins its day. The commuters on the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge see the outline of the city grow more distinct as they pass through the fog bank, and glass skyscrapers seem to suddenly appear on all sides.  Bundles of blankets cluster around the sides of buildings, under the highway underpasses, and in parks. The homeless are still asleep.  AT&T Park mostly rests for a few hours, save a few workers. There will be a game later on in the day.  High schoolers throughout the city grudgingly wake up as their months-long vacation ends with the start of the school year.

____

Neji kept falling. He could have been falling for any length of time or distance, as the total lack of sensation or change from the whiteness changed seconds to months, meters to light-years, or vice-versa. Finally, the white void darkened until it was impossible to distinguish if his eyes were closed or open, and the sensation of falling lessened until it was impossible to know if he still was. He stayed in this state of unknowing for what seemed like only a few seconds until a continuous piercing ring shattered the void. The darkness erupted into the shapes of an unfamiliar room. His heartbeat jumped as if given a shock, and the total sensation felt more as if he had been resurrected than woken from a dream. 

The cacophonous ring continued, making it difficult for Neji to focus on determining his surroundings. It seemed to be coming from a small white rectangle on a table within arm’s reach, and he quickly grabbed the unfamiliar device. In doing so, he pressed what appeared to be the only button, and the noise thankfully stopped. The device seemed interesting, and perhaps worth a look at later, but he needed to know where he was.

Compared to his minimalist room in the Hyuuga compound, his room was overwhelming. A few multicolored posters were neatly hung on the walls, and a bookshelf took up a corner of the fairly small room. A book lay open on a comfortable-looking futon, but otherwise, the room was fairly organized. A large sheet of paper rested on a desk, an unfinished work of art, according to the paint streaks and faint pencil lines he could see from his position on the bed.

_ A genjutsu. Has to be. _ He remembered Kabuto using some sort of jutsu, but the scene was hazy, and he couldn’t remember the words Kabuto had used. The hand sign sequence had been unfamiliar and was then obscured by the time spent in the void. Neji attempted to channel chakra into a condensed burst to break the illusion-- a technique he excelled at, given his mastery of the Gentle Fist.

However, when he attempted to reach for the energy that flowed through him, nothing came forth. In a final effort, he attempted to draw chakra from the ground, a technique that probably wouldn’t even work indoors and that he had no training in whatsoever. When nothing worked, he attempted to activate his dojutsu, but the technique he could practically use in his sleep only succeeded in bulging out his eyes a little. 

Neji closed his eyes in thought.  _ Possibility of a very powerful genjutsu of a world without chakra. Likely, given the circumstances. However, nothing bad has happened yet, and I’d think that Kabuto would love to inflict as much pain as possible. Unless he didn’t know the effects of the genjutsu-but that’s not how they work, because a genjutsu depends on the control of the wielder over the environment. Also, I don’t think Kabuto would have bothered with the amount of detail here. Perhaps this  _ _ is a sort of dream, but I don’t think my subconscious has this much imagination. Was I poisoned, perhaps? _

No possibility seemed very likely. He looked around the room once more. A mirror was fixed over a dresser on the far wall. 

At least he looked like he always did-- Konoha headband secured around his seal-marked forehead, flack jacket and cargo shorts secure above his standard shinobi sandals. He even had his kunai and rations.

He hadn’t really been sleeping, he noticed, glancing at the bed. He had just been laying on top of the covers. _Was I_ _dropped onto the bed from above?_ _Impossible._

The morning chill started to catch up with him, now that he wasn’t ridden with adrenaline and wore a uniform suited more to the Land of Fire than to wherever he was now.  _ Some foggy place, like the Hidden Rain or Lightning. Not another void, though. I see some buildings. This is one hell of a genjutsu if I’m in a city with as much detail as this room _ . 

“Nèji! Come on! You’ll be late!” A familiar voice shouted from somewhere outside of his room. 

_ Hiashi? _

The cold forgotten, Neji half-ran out of the room towards a modest dining room. Hiashi glanced at him, a bit taken aback.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Hiashi-” Neji started to bow, but faltered at Hiashi’s bark of laughter.

“What? What a way to start the morning! I would be honored, but you called me the wrong name! ‘Dad’ is fine if you ever can’t tell us apart, but that’s kind of sad from my own son. And what are you even wearing?”

Neji froze, and his face reddened in shame.  _ Of course that’s my father. I can tell them apart! It’s cruel of Kabuto to bring up my father in this. When I break this genjutsu or recover from this poison or whatever it is, I’m going to kill him. And what does my clothing have to do this? _

“What do you mean, dad?” he almost choked on the word, unfamiliar to his tongue and laced with sad memory. 

“It’s just that I’ve never seen that outfit before. And you always wear your hair down. Oh! I get it. You want to make a different first impression because it’s a new school year. And you would know what’s in style before I do anyway. Well, it looks fine.” Hizashi ignored how his son seemed to dislike calling him “dad”. Teenagers. Always wanting to look tough. “Anyway, we’re leaving in fifteen minutes, so eat something.”

Neji nodded and left the room to search for a bathroom. The toilets, at least, were familiar, and it was nice to have warm running water. This environment was 

comfortable, at least. The idea that he was part of a genjutsu seemed less and less likely the more details he noticed. He followed Hizashi to the door.

“Nèji? Don’t you want your backpack? I know it’s just the first day but you may want to hold textbooks and papers and such?”

“Right.” Neji walked to his room. Sure enough, a black backpack stood on the floor. It had a few pencils and notebooks in it. At least it was fairly easy so far to get accustomed to this new life. He left the curious white rectangle on the table to figure out later.

He followed his father out the door, into the unknown.


	3. Chapter 3

Konoha

“Woah!” Nèji gasped. His dream had felt bizarrely long and very boring. He had just been falling through a white nothingness until he had woken up with a jolt that seemed unwarranted due to the lack of a feeling of having landed. Now, instead of his bed, he lay on concrete, in what seemed like a cell. 

At least he still had his sleeping clothes on-- a comfortable t-shirt and boxers-- but his phone and wallet were missing. He vaguely remembered eating dinner with his dad and falling asleep. 

_ Well, at least this dream is slightly more engaging than the last one. Oh wait, knowing that makes this a lucid dream! Hell yeah! _

Nèji didn’t have an opportunity to try to change his surroundings, because he heard two sets of footprints.  _ Let’s see who they are first. This could be interesting. _

Sure enough, the people that arrived  _ were _ interesting.  _ A black vest on a white tee with a single arm guard and opposing white leg holster for contrast. The blue sandals more than clash, though, and that haircut is tragic, but not a terrible overall look. The guy next to him...Jesus, it’s like if Voldemort had hair and fierce purple eyeshadow. And that tunic? It’s better than a potato sack, but not by much. At least he’s wearing something under it. And that purple rope? I kind of hate it. Maybe I’ll tell him. Sounds fun. _

“Hey, snake-man! Your outfit does nothing for you. And honestly, with that hair and eyeshadow, I think you could pull off something more avant-garde. You know, one of those ambiguously gendered ensembles you see on figure skaters.”

“I have no idea what you mean, but if you insult Lord Orochimaru in  _ any _ way, I won’t hesitate to dissect you like a frog.” 

“Now, now, Kabuto. Let’s hear what he has to say. I’m sure he’s far from home. Aren’t you,  _ Neji Hyuuga _ ,” the snake-man hissed. Nèji didn’t even blink.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. And to be honest, I’m not threatened at all by” --he glanced at Kabuto-- “four-eyes over here. This is  _ my _ dream, after all.”

Kabuto stepped forward and punched Nèji in the face. “How about now? Still think this is a dream?”

Nèji reeled backward. His nose was bleeding and hurt badly; maybe it was broken. _ Guess I shouldn’t have said that. And you can’t get hurt in dreams. But if this isn’t a dream, then what could it be-- shit. I’ve been kidnapped. Or drugged. Probably both because no one looks that much like a snake. And I just insulted my kidnappers. Great situation to be in right here.  _

His eyes must have given away his fear, because Kabuto smiled. “I have a few questions for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I use "Nèji" to refer to the Neji from San Francisco that's trapped in Konoha. Hopefully that makes things clearer


	4. Chapter 4

San Francisco

“Nèji, are you sure you’re all right?” Hizashi asked in the car. 

Neji nodded, awestruck by the notion that he was in a contraption made up of unknown materials that, through some kind of explosion-powered engine, could move faster than even Guy at a sprint. And if he looked out the window, he could see countless other fascinating things.

_ Why is that one street up on the hill so treacherous-looking? Why does that bar have a rainbow flag? What is BART? Who are the San Francisco Giants? Does that make this San Francisco?  _

“Nèji. Nèji!” Hizashi gently shook his son’s forearm, breaking his trance. “Here’s your stop. Have a good first day and I’ll see you in a few hours.” 

“Thank you, dad.” Neji replied earnestly, concealing his trepidation behind his typical neutral expression as he left his father. 

Had he turned around, he would have caught Hizashi’s parting concern. 

The school looked huge and full of life and culture that he didn’t know, so he would have to be smart to avoid becoming an outcast. 

It still hadn’t really registered to Neji that, at least in this world or genjutsu or whatever it was, his father, Hizashi Hyuuga, was alive. Hizashi Hyuuga, who had given his life to prevent a war eleven years ago, had driven him to school. 

_ I can’t think about this now, at any rate _ .  _ There’s so much going on that I don’t trust myself not to do anything rash if I think about my father.  _ What being rash

entailed, Neji didn’t dwell on.  _ I’ll focus on being as normal and unobtrusive as possible. I’d rather not be sent to some sort of institution. _

Nevertheless, as he walked through the gate of his high school, students stared at him _ , _ transfixed by his opalescent eyes. A few gazes settled on his headband, and at least one pair of eyes none-too-stealthily slid down the length of his hair.

_ Do I look that different from the version of me that they know? Or perhaps these students just hadn’t seen him before?  _ He decided on the latter. Hizashi would have said something if he had looked noticeably different.  _ No one’s recoiling, at least. I suppose in this world my eyes are simply a genetic variation. _

He moved deftly through the crowd of students towards his first class-- an advanced precalculus course. Most of the students seemed unsure of where to sit, and ended up searching around the classroom for empty desks due to the lack of direction from the teacher. Neji followed suit, and was early enough to claim the back corner desk for himself. Student after student walked in and took a seat.

The seat next to him remained empty, most likely due to Neji’s neutral but imposing slight frown and generally icy demeanor. Just as the clock marked the start of class, the door opened one more time. A familiar black-haired teen ambled in, and, seeing that the seat in the back corner was taken, chose the one right next to it. 

“Shikamaru!” Neji exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to turn towards them. “Are you stuck in this place as well?”

“Huh?”

“Did Kabuto transport you here?” Neji muttered much more quietly.

“What? Who’s he?” Shikamaru looked slightly nervous.

_ Damn. He thinks I’ve lost it. He must be from here. Come to think of it, I should have asked my father as well, though he's certain to have had the same reaction.  _ “Never mind.” 

Shikamaru shrugged in reply.

Throughout the syllabus lecture, Neji caught Shikamaru glancing at him. 

“Did something happen to you over the summer? I don’t know you that well, but you seem kinda different than you were last year.” 

Neji shrugged, and said nothing, even as Shikamaru gazed at him expectantly.

“See, this is what I mean. You’re usually a pretty chatty guy. And you haven’t said a word about what anyone’s wearing, even though you were pretty quick to talk to me.”

_ Again with the clothes! And if I have to keep talking to be in character, that will be a problem.  _

Thankfully the second-period bell rang before Neji could think of a believable response.

Neji’s next class was gym. As he stood outside the gymnasium, he heard a familiar voice, as did everyone in a large radius.

“Nèji! How are you, my man!” Rock Lee yelled. “It seems as though we are in the same class! I cannot think of a better place to continue to prove our eternal rivalry and youthful friendship! It seems that you have even trained over the summer for the occasion!”

If he was in Konoha, Neji would likely have rolled his eyes at the outburst. However, the alienness of his environment had taken a toll on him even for the few hours he had been awake, and Neji was desperate for anything familiar.

He managed a smile. “I’m doing fine, I suppose. First day and all that.”  _ Seems believable _ .

“Nèji! If there is anything wrong you can talk to me! Or you can spar with me to sort out your feelings!”

_ What-- _

“Save it for the tournament, you two!” bellowed a familiar voice. Might Guy stared at them from the doorway of the gym. “I know you want to fight, Lee. Just remember: Patience is a virtue. And you!” Guy turned to look at Neji. “You should prepare yourself if Lee wants to spar with you. Anyway! Time to take attendance with fiery passion!”

_ So this version of Guy doesn’t know me. I suppose that I ‘dodged a bullet’, in this place’s slang. _

“Please forgive me if I youthfully mispronounce your names!”

____

After the attendance and following class-organization spiel, Neji learned a few interesting pieces of information. One was that it was still cold, even though it was ten in the morning in late summer. Another was that Guy had apparently bent the curriculum to create a gym unit based on martial arts, which would culminate in a tournament the day before winter break. Guy’s final parting piece of information was that everyone had to change into gym uniforms before class each day. Many people glanced at Neji then, some with a sort of half-pity, which he steadfastly ignored.

Before he could ruminate further, the bell rang, signaling the start of the ten-minute break.


	5. Chapter 5

_ At least Kabuto and Orochimaru haven’t tortured me yet. Waterboarding never really struck me as something I’d like to experience. But it’s not like I’m refusing to tell them anything.  _ Nèji lay down on the mattress, which was surprisingly comfortable, given that he was still imprisoned in an otherwise dank cell. The food that Kabuto gave him wasn’t bad either. Interestingly, it had only been Japanese cuisine. 

Past their initial meeting roughly a few days ago, Kabuto had been surprisingly civil, casting into suspicion his initial idea of a straightforward kidnapping. The time elapsed cast doubt on his being drugged, unless they were continually dosing him.

That seemed to be at odds with their treatment of him, however. Even if he was following orders from Orochimaru, Kabuto had lent Nèji his own mirror and comb, and clean white robes to wear. He had even offered him one of his hair ties, which Nèji had respectfully declined, preferring his typical freefalling hairstyle. The “interrogation sessions” hadn’t been that unpleasant, either--simply conversations with Kabuto over lunch in a makeshift dining area. Kabuto had even brought a tablecloth on the first day to cover the smooth stone table.

Nèji hadn’t been able to determine Orochimaru and Kabuto’s intentions, which scared him the most about the whole ordeal. That, and that the two seemed like they wouldn’t hesitate to kill, and were strong enough to easily do so. He knew nothing else about them. Kabuto was careful about not revealing any information about his surroundings, and refused to answer almost all questions Nèji asked, except for how long it had been since his arrival. He supposed that Kabuto didn’t want him to go insane.

_There he is now._ _Looks like he even brought some sort of wine, the absolute madman!_

“What’s up, Kabuto?”

“Oh, I’ve had a difficult day. But learning more about this fascinating world might cheer me up. The sake as well. Do you drink?”

“Not really. It’s illegal, actually...” He trailed off. 

Kabuto stared straight into Nèji’s eyes as he poured him a glass.

“Oh really?” Kabuto set the bottle on the cloth-covered slab with a muted clink. His eyes didn’t stray at all.

“Tell me, Hyuuga. How did you arrive here again?”

“I told you, I don’t know. I felt like I was falling and woke up here.”

“And if you were to return, how would you go about doing so?”

“I...well. I guess I’d start by leaving here and finding a phone to call the police, or home if I was close by. I’d call home either way, actually. I’m sure my dad’s worried about me.” 

Kabuto laughed and poured himself another glass of the rice wine, breaking the stare. “Oh no! You  _ poor _ boy!  _ Nothing _ you said is possible!” 

A sobering realization struck Kabuto about the possibility of his own plans to come to fruition. He had no control over the Universe Shift jutsu. It would have to be heavily modified, which would take years of research. His dream of a perfect alternate universe was far from his grasp, but at least this Neji was greatly amusing.

“Why’s that, exactly?” Nèji’s gaze hardened. Kabuto coughed on a sip of wine in a fit of giggles.

“You can’t leave here because I won’t let you, but even if you could, no one has a  _ phone _ because they don’t  _ exist _ here. And even if they did, there’s no one to call, because Orochimaru and I are more powerful than any “police”. And your father isn’t worried about you because he’s  _ dead _ !”

Kabuto’s closing statement would have had more impact had Nèji not been so hung up on “No one has a phone because they don’t  _ exist _ here.”

_ What the hell? How could phones not  _ exist _ here? Not just that it’s almost impossible to find one, like in North Korea, but they don’t exist? He even sounded like he had never heard the word before, and he’s speaking English. Am I in some kind of alternate universe?  _

What he knew about multiverse theory seemed to fit the statement.  _ Because there are an infinitely large number of separate universes, I somehow got transported to one where I’m held captive by a sociopath and a snake-man, where phones don’t exist and...did he just say Dad was dead? Shit! Guess that seals the deal. I have to find a way back. _

“I expected more of a reaction from you.” Kabuto said, clearly disappointed. He finished off the first bottle and poured himself another from a second bottle, seemingly procured from thin air. “It’s not as bad as it seems. After all, you’re our guest of honor.”

“I suppose I am, aren’t I.” Nèji said mildly. He noticed a faint blush on Kabuto’s cheeks. Relieved of his previous anxiety by an odd contrast of determination and freewheeling nihilism, he tried a few sips of the sake. It wasn’t bad, and ran down his throat like cool water. 

“You know, Neji, that Orochimaru and I will treat you well.” Kabuto attempted to push up his glasses, but missed, smudging the lens with his thumb. “Especially me.” The syllables seemed to have a difficult time cooperating with each other. 

Nèji raised an eyebrow.  _ Liquor hits this guy all at once, doesn't it. _

“It gets pretty lonely down here.” Kabuto paused for a moment before continuing, seemingly lost in thought.

“You should drink that.” He gestured to Nèji’s half-full glass. Nèji set down the drink. His face paled to match his eyes for an instant before a pink flush spread across his cheeks.

“You’re  _ adorable  _ when you’re flustered.” Kabuto gave a manic little giggle.

“I’m...uh...flattered, but I don’t think whatever you’re insinuating is a good idea,” Nèji stammered.

A thin figure made itself known from the side of the room. It would be the only time Nèji would ever thank Orochimaru, but his captor led him back to the cell in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was weirdly dark-the darkest chapter of this fic. Had I written this fic now, I would've changed this plot point.


	6. Chapter 6

San Francisco

“Tenten!” Rock Lee ran over to the familiar brunette. Her hair, seen so often in twin buns, hung long and loose down her back. Not knowing where to meet her friends, she had paced in front of the library for a minute or two. Her eyes lit up as she heard Lee, and she accepted Lee’s incoming flying hug with practiced grace. 

_ Everyone’s so much happier here _ , Neji thought briefly, before Tenten swooped him into a hug.

The physical contact felt strange after years of rejecting people. He had only expressed himself through rage-fueled combat and stifling formality since his father--his  _ real _ father--died when he was four. A powerful wave of emotion, difficult to articulate but undoubtedly a product of a finally-acknowledged void in his life, struck him as he embraced Tenten. He started to shake as she let go.

“Nèji! Are you all right?”

He didn’t meet her eyes. The world seemed hazy, and his stomach felt like it was made of lead.  _ This is what Konoha would be like without constant violence, if the Nine-Tails never attacked, if there weren’t warring states, if my father had never died- _

His eyes shone with tears, but he refused to let them fall.

“What’s wrong?” Tenten carefully laid her hand on his shoulder, to no response. Lee furrowed his eyebrows in concern, but thankfully stayed silent.

A long minute passed where Tenten waited patiently for a reply, Neji stoically refused to say a word, and Lee paced behind them, conflicted as to whether he should say anything. The bell for the next class rang, but Tenten held on until Neji slipped out from her grasp. 

He ran to the nearest restroom, avoiding the sidelong glance Tenten gave Lee. 

Though the stall doors offered little in the way of privacy and anonymity, Neji was thankful for the feeling of refuge, of a lack of judgment inherent to restrooms.  _ All good ones, anyway,  _ he thought, a little madly, before his emotions finally overcame him. Neji cried, his tears splashing on the linoleum floor.


	7. Chapter 7

Konoha

In his cell, Nèji grew more and more restless. Kabuto’s lunchtime visits had been replaced with Orochimaru, who silently gave Nèji meals of plain white rice two or three times a day, though it was impossible to know. 

He heard the shuffle of footsteps. Kabuto and Orochimaru spoke outside of his cell.

“We’ve gathered all of the information we can out of him, Lord Orochimaru. I don’t see why we should keep him around.” Kabuto spoke loudly enough that he undoubtedly wanted Nèji to hear their conversation. He had learned that both could be very stealthy when they wanted to be.

“Don’t you want to see how he fares in combat? I haven’t seen him train or use his dojutsu since he arrived. Who knows what he’s capable of.”

“A fair point. There’s a strong possibility that he dies in the ring, so perhaps I could...  _ talk _ to him one final time first.” Kabuto chuckled.

_ They aren’t going to let me go. _

“Do what you will, Kabuto. He goes in the ring this afternoon.” 

Now Nèji heard just the set of footsteps closing in on his cell. In the span of a few seconds, every swear word he knew raced through his mind. 

Nèji had learned some martial arts from his father, but had never been motivated enough to practice beyond an intermediate level. Nevertheless, he prepared to strike as soon as Kabuto walked in. 

A loud crashing sound, like an explosion, echoed through the chambers. Nèji heard Kabuto gasp and run towards the sound, his footsteps swiftly becoming more spread out and farther away.

“CHA!” A female voice yelled. 

“RASENGAN!” An equally loud voice shouted moments later. Another explosion sound reverberated through the cells. 

“Chidori!” That yell was a bit more subdued.

“DYNAMIC ENTRY!” That one was not.

“PRIMARY LOTUS!” Not even close.

Apparently that last shout ended the whole ordeal, because the sound of explosions abruptly stopped. The last two voices seemed very familiar, but Nèji didn’t have time to ruminate on who could have come to his rescue, because in an instant his cell door was framed in lightning. It fell with a clang to reveal his saviors.

“Mr. Guy? Lee? What are you doing here? Not that I’m ungrateful, of course.” 

_ Seriously, though. Why is my P.E. teacher here? And Lee? And my classmates? What a weird universe I got thrown into! And who’s Mask over here?  _

Guy and Rock Lee exchanged a solemn, though confused, look.

“We’re getting you out of here, Neji!” Guy exclaimed.  _ I guess this version also doesn’t have an “inside voice”. _ “Here! Hop on!” Guy bent down in a non-refutable “hop on my back” pose. Nèji complied with minimal hesitation.

In an improbably short amount of time, he found himself in a clearing in a forest a presumably safe distance away from wherever he had been trapped. _Usain Bolt over here. Glad I managed to stay on. Were we going through the trees? Can people fly now?_ _What a world._

“Neji. I need to know what they’ve done to you.” The masked man stated. _Definitely the best dressed,_ _though there’s no competition. Green jumpsuits? Fluorescent orange? Tragic. I guess Sakura’s ensemble is okay. She took a risk with wearing red next to her pink hair, which I have to respect. Maybe this guy takes second after all, especially if that’s a uniform. Can’t win if you didn’t have a choice in what to wear._ With that Neji ended his musing and focused on the face in front of him.

“Sorry, what did you say? And who are you?”

Even with just one eye visible, the man’s expression was grave. “My name is Kakashi Hatake. I’m a Jounin from your village. How much do you remember from the past six days?”

_ So it’s been six days. Still no idea who this guy is, but he seems cool and knows me somehow, so I’ll roll with it. _

“Well, I woke up imprisoned by these two guys named Orochimaru and Kabuto--I see by your expression that you know them--and pretty much just stayed in my cell the whole time. Besides breaking my nose, they didn’t drug me or torture me at all, probably because Kabuto liked me.”

“Of course we know who Orochimaru and Kabuto are--” Kakashi started to reply.

“What! Kabuto liked you? What do you mean? Why?” Naruto exclaimed.

“I’d rather not say. The point is that they didn’t do anything to me to my knowledge.”

All five gave each other worried looks. 

“Well, we  _ know _ that’s wrong. Or am I the only one that noticed that his curse seal is gone?” Sakura asked pretentiously.

“Huh! How about that.” 

“Naruto! You fought him when he gave his entire destiny monologue! You of all people should have noticed!” 

Lee interjected before Sakura could clock Naruto upside the head.

“Neji is clearly not himself! I think Orochimaru must have done something with his mind! His words imply that he does not recognize Kakashi but knows Guy-sensei and me somehow! It does not add up!”

“Lee’s right. We have to get him to Hidden Leaf immediately!” Guy crouched into the same “hop on my back” pose as earlier, but Kakashi stopped him.

“Make sure he gets a  _ full  _ diagnostic. And get Inoichi to look at him.” 

The meaning of the term “ _ full _ diagnostic” was apparently not lost on Guy, as his face paled considerably, but he did not reply beyond another gesture for Nèji to “hop on”.

Nèji accepted the ride, thankful he didn’t have to show his inability to keep up with Guy’s pace. 

The next few hours were a blur, both in how little Nèji remembered of it, and literally, because Guy moved so quickly that it was impossible to discern details of his surroundings. He was able to figure out that Guy wasn’t actually airborne, but somehow jumping upwards of ten feet to travel between branches. Guy never seemed to tire, though, and his feet always landed perfectly on the next branch.  _ I guess gravity’s just another difference to get used to. Or maybe everyone else can just do Mario long-jumps now. _

Nèji noticed that they moved through village gates, down a bustling street with Japanese-style houses, and through the lobby of a normal-seeming hospital, where Guy set him down abruptly. Apparently the doctors knew Guy, or himself, or both, because a nurse immediately whisked him to a private hospital room and instructed him to lie down. As he did, the nurse made a few motions with his hands, muttered something, and rested his palm on Nèji’s head. In an instant, he fell unconscious.


	8. Chapter 8

San Francisco

The restroom had long since cleared out when Neji stepped out of the stall and cleaned himself up, refusing to meet his own eyes in the mirror. _ People will notice my weakness when I walk in.  _ For a minute he considered skipping his next class, but that also seemed pathetic, especially because today the classes were only forty minutes long.

Sure enough, the class did glance at him when he walked into his advanced English class, but it was difficult to know if it was because of his tardiness on the first day, the almost completely invisible latent redness around his eyes, or his general appearance. No one he knew from Konoha was in the class.

He also didn’t recognize anyone from his next class, AP United States History.  _ Wherever that is. _ From the looks of it, the class would be inherently difficult, based on its subject matter. Neji was smart--a  _ genius _ , even--but the sheer amount of information he would have to learn was daunting. Names of places and leaders had 

no context for him, and the maps scattered throughout the room, fascinating as they were, were entirely foreign. At least he was able to figure out his general location on the map from his teacher’s lecture. Apparently, he was  _ in _ the United States.  _ I suppose it's good that I didn't ask. _

The bell rang, interrupting his teacher. Normally, it would’ve been the call to lunch, but Neji walked with the crowd to the science building where he had his penultimate class of the day, AP Biology. Thankfully, he saw three friendly faces.  _ Well, two and a half,  _ he corrected. Even in this world, Shino covered half of his face behind his clothes, and wore dark glasses. Kiba sat next to him, murmuring to Akamaru, who lay on the ground beneath him. Akamaru, interestingly, wore some kind of miniature vest. Hinata sat next to them.  _ Apparently they’re still a team. _ The thought made Neji smile a little.

Hinata beckoned him over. “Nèji...you can sit with us, if you’d like.” Though she spoke softly, warmth shone in her eyes.  _ I suppose there wouldn’t be tension between us. Presumably, this world’s version of me had a bit of an average life _ ,  _ without the Main and Side Branch conflict.  _ He nodded slightly and took an empty seat next to his cousin.

“I can still hardly believe you two are related!” Kiba declared. “I mean, Hinata being so quiet and you being so….uhh…” Kiba trailed off. “You know what I mean.”

“I can assure you that I do not.” 

Hinata turned away, secondhand embarrassment starting to tint her face. Shino made no expression, but turned to face them.

“Flamboyant?” Kiba finished, but sounded unsure even as he said the word. Neji made no reply. Kiba shifted uncomfortably. “Never mind.”

A tense minute passed before the teacher, a sharp-looking middle aged woman, stood up abruptly.

“Starting tomorrow, we will start class as soon as the bell rings! I decided to give you a few minutes in case people somehow got lost on the way here.” The class gave a collective nervous chuckle. “I have a few rules in my class. No eating or drinking. Respect laboratory procedures. Respect your classmates. And respect me. Which means no covered faces,” she looked at Shino, who grudgingly moved his jacket down an inch. “No hats, and no head coverings except for religious reasons. That includes accessories.” She gazed triumphantly at Neji.

“Fine.” Neji untied the Konoha headband and let it drop into his palm.

“N-N-Nèji!” Hinata stammered, eyes wide. Kiba turned to look.

“Holy shit, dude! You tattooed your forehead?”

“I... can explain?” Neji’s face reddened.

“He had his forehead hidden this whole time. Perhaps he got it on a dare. Maybe he’s ashamed of it,” Shino said.

“Woah! Do you think he got it in a prison? Maybe by one of those neo-Nazi gangs? It kinda looks like a swastika!” Kiba shouted. Akamaru barked.

“Settle down!” the teacher yelled to match Kiba. Immediately the class quieted. “Nèji Hyuuga. Principal. Now.”

Seething with embarrassment, Neji left.


	9. Chapter 9

Konoha

Nèji woke to see a few doctors talking to a tall, blond man with a long ponytail.  _ A bold choice on his part. Respect, though. The hair suits him.  _

“No physical trauma besides the nose. No internal injuries or poisons. Slim to no possibility of assault in any way.” A doctor muttered. “He’s all yours.” The doctors left. The blond turned to face Nèji. 

“Ah. So you’re awake, Neji. Do you know who I am?” he asked, not unkindly. Nèji shook his head.

“My name is Inoichi Yamanaka. I’m here to find out what Orochimaru and Kabuto did to your mind. I will look inside your mind to find any damage. I’ll give you as much privacy as possible, but it’s possible that I may find more than I intended, in which case, I’ll keep that information secret if it doesn’t endanger anyone. You’ll be unconscious the entire time.”

“Wait, you’re going to put me in a trance? Like, hypnosis? I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m not mentally damaged; I’m just not supposed to be here. I’m a version of Neji from a parallel universe who took his place.” Immediately after Nèji had spoken he realized how it had sounded and winced. Inoichi looked grim.

“This procedure might go deeper than I had planned. Prepare yourself.” 

_ That’s what he-- _

Everything went dark.

The procedure lasted no more than an hour before Nèji regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to find Inoichi uncomfortably close to him, his face no more than a foot away from his own. Inoichi’s piercing green eyes were wide with confusion and a bit of fear.

Nèji gave a small startled yelp as Inoichi instantly recoiled.

“I...have to see the Hokage about this,” Inoichi said before swiveling around in his haste to leave. He couldn’t escape, however, because the door opened to reveal the same doctor as before.

“How was the procedure? Inoichi?” the doctor asked with concern.

“He’s not a threat to the village. He’s free to go, but I don’t want details of him or of this procedure getting out. And make sure he stays in Hidden Leaf.” Inoichi commanded. His authoritative words were undermined by a barely-there quiver in his voice.

“Yes, sir.” The doctor looked nervous but said nothing else as Inoichi ran out the door.

He turned to Nèji. “You heard him. Stay in the village and don’t tell anyone Inoichi saw you. Other than that you have permission to leave.” 

Nèji left, unsure of where to go. He walked to the waiting room, thankful for a familiar voice.

“N-Neji? You’re out...thank goodness. Guy-sensei told me you were in the hospital--” Hinata stammered, then gasped. “Neji! Your curse seal! What happened?”

“What’s a curse seal?”  _ It must be pretty obvious. Sakura had mentioned it right away, as well. _

Hinata looked terrified--not that unusual for her, even in the version that he knew, but disconcerting nonetheless. “Neji...Your curse seal. The mark on your forehead. Did...did something happen to your memory?”

_That’s_ _probably the best excuse I’ll have._ “Yeah. Orochimaru and Kabuto did some kind of memory experiment on me. I guess they also took off the curse seal.”

Hinata’s fearful expression didn’t change at all. “How much do you remember? Do you even...do you even know who I am?” 

“You’re my cousin, Hinata! Of course I know who you are. I don’t know much about my surroundings, though. Maybe you could help me out?”

Hinata looked a bit relieved and nodded. 

“Okay, but please put this on for the time being. I’ll explain later, but for now, it’s better that people think that you have the seal.” Hinata handed him her own leaf-printed headband, gesturing to tie it around his forehead, which he did with only a raised eyebrow in opposition.

They didn’t get very far away from the hospital when they saw someone run towards them. Her features looked similar to Nèji’s and Hinata’s, including her pearl-white eyes.  _ Maybe she’s one of my second cousins twice-removed or something. Once I get back, I’ll figure out how lineage works. It’s probably worth a 2 AM Wikipedia binge. _

“Hi?” Nèji started. He regretted his default casual tone when his cousin responded to the stranger with a short bow. 

“How may we help you?”

“Lord Hiashi requests to see his nephew right away.”


	10. Chapter 10

San Francisco

“So, why were you sent to my office?” Tsunade sat at a large wooden desk flooded with papers. The word “Principal” was engraved on a small standing prism that stood atop the mountain of papers in a way that resembled a ship on a turbulent sea. She glowered into the middle distance, not at the teenager who had just entered the room; her mind was occupied with annoying administrative concerns. Had Neji not been already accustomed to her personality, he would have felt slightly intimidated.

“Lady Hokage. I mean, Principal Tsunade. I was sent here from my class because I was a...distraction.”

Tsunade looked up with the minimal amount of interest required to understand the conversation. 

“Will you be less of a distraction in the future?”

“Yes. I will. Ma’am.” Tsunade seemed a bit surprised, but not displeased, by the formality. 

“Then go.” 

From outside of her office, Neji heard Tsunade mutter, “The  _ nerve _ of that woman, sending someone to me on the first day. I’ll have to speak with her.”

He allowed himself a selfish smirk. __

The bell for the next class hadn’t rung yet, but the thought of returning to his biology class wasn’t appealing in the slightest, especially now that the morning chill had more or less burned off.

His last class of the day was mysteriously labeled “Spanish 2”. Had Neji considered how he had seen different kinds of students and heard different accents from walking to his classes, he might have had some idea of what class he was walking into. However, his only previous encounters with cultural diversity were the people he had met from the different Lands, and the sometimes-monstrous people he had fought on missions. There weren’t any other languages in Konoha.

Without the flood of students, the school felt stifling. Concrete composed every building in sight, and traced paths through already-small patches of grass. The school buildings dwarfed adjacent, evenly-spaced fledgling trees.

_ A terrible place to avoid being seen, _ Neji thought instinctively.  _ Can’t move upwards, either--The buildings are too high. More importantly, I can’t jump such a distance here without sustaining injury.  _ He frowned.  _ The only combat advantage I have is the Gentle Fist, which is notably less effective without the Byakugan, or chakra--it’s still fine as a way of incapacitating, but I’m not sure how much control I’ll have over internal damage. At least it doesn’t seem to matter for the moment. _

He leaned against the wall next to his Spanish class, meditating for a few minutes before the bell rang. He waited a minute or so for the previous class to file out before walking in.

It was the most colorful classroom he’d ever been in. Posters and charts covered the walls. Many seemed that they were made for children, but Neji couldn’t understand more than a few words in total, and those were similar to English. 

The teacher, an energetic lady in her twenties, fidgeted in her chair. She seemed to be waiting for the entire class to file in before making her introductory speech.

Neji had taken a seat near the door, but second to the back. Not the back row, so that he wouldn’t seem like he desperately wanted to leave on the first day, but still be far enough away to avoid undue attention, especially from the teacher.

Sasuke shuffled in, heading for the back corner opposite the door. Neji attempted to make eye contact, but Sasuke only gave a small acknowledging nod, sat down, and immediately stared out the window. 

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino walked in next. Shikamaru took the corner seat behind Neji, and wouldn’t budge, so Choji sat next to him, Ino next to Choji. 

_ Only two people, and then everyone in the Konoha Twelve is in at least one of my classes. _

“SASUKE!” A bellow rang from the doorway behind him. _ There they are.  _ Sasuke’s eyes lit up with a joy that Neji had never seen from him.

“NARUTO!” 

“Can you guys go  _ one day _ without doing that?!” Sakura yelled. Nevertheless, she sat next to Naruto, completing the back row.

“But it’s the first day of school! I haven’t seen him for, well, I guess just a couple days.” Sakura sighed, but gave an amused smile.

“¡Hola clase!” the teacher called enthusiastically, before launching into a mostly-English monologue about the course syllabus.  _ At least she’s not making me take off my forehead protector. Also, this class seems to be the second year of learning this new language. Hopefully I can catch up, like in my history class. This year might actually pose a bit of a challenge.  _

In a short time, Neji would realize how much of an understatement that was.


	11. Chapter 11

Konoha

“So, what’s this about Uncle Hiashi being a lord?” Nèji asked his cousin as they approached the Hyuuga compound.

“The Hyuugas are divided into the Main and Side Branches. My father is the head of the Main Branch. You’re in the Side Branch and defer to everyone in the Main Branch-even me, technically.” Hinata said the last part so quietly that Nèji thought that he imagined it. It took a second for him to process the meaning of what she said.

_ What in the fresh hell is this?  _ “Are you joking?”

Hinata shook her head sadly. “I wish I was. Just be respectful and polite to him and the elders, and you’ll be okay. And Neji…” she looked at him gravely.

“Don’t let the elders know that you don’t have the seal.” She whispered. “This is your chance to be free, like you always wanted.” Her eyes shone with tears. 

Nèji didn’t have the heart to tell her that he had no idea what she meant. 

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the compound to allow Hinata to compose herself. 

The compound reminded Nèji of the gentrified suburbs that he had occasionally visited near San Francisco. The walls were clean, the gardens landscaped. One of his relatives stood watch outside, a sentry like those outside gated communities. The guard wore a bandana and a blank expression, though happy creases framed his pearly eyes. He nodded as Nèji and Hinata passed.

“Lady Hinata. Neji.” 

Hinata gave an acknowledging smile. “Shirudo.”

Nèji reverted automatically to a quick rhetorical “‘Sup.” with accompanying upward chin-tilt. 

Shirudo looked at him quizzically, causing Nèji to instantly regret his informality for the second time in the past hour. Hinata gave the now-smiling guard a shrug, nudging her cousin away. They walked into the largest building. Hiashi sat alone in the room on a raised podium, face stern. Hinata immediately knelt, her cousin following suit.

“Father.”

“Lord Hiashi.”  _ Nailed it. _

“I heard that you were captured?” Hiashi asked the statement like a question, but there was softness in his voice.

“Yeah, Orochimaru and Kabuto kidnapped me for six days. They did something to my memory, but didn’t really hurt me. Guy and the others rescued me just in time.”

“That’s good to hear. What do you mean ‘they did something to your memory’?”

“Some kind of experiment?” 

Hiashi’s ivory eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Was that all they affected?”

“Um. Yes? That I know of?”

“Don’t lie to me!” 

Hiashi’s eyes suddenly glared and seemed to look  _ into _ Nèji. The veins around his eyes protruded disturbingly. Nèji gave a small yelp of shock and disgust.

“Neji. What happened to your chakra? Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I...I don’t know what you mean?” Nèji stammered, shaken by his uncle’s visage. Hiashi frowned further, but more in worry than anger. He stopped glaring, and his eye-veins receded back into his head.

“Nephew. Take off your forehead protector.” It was not a question. Hinata looked over from where she was kneeling, thanking the stars that there, for once, wasn’t anyone else in the room.

Nèji did, slowly. There was no way around it. Hiashi gasped.

“Hinata, did you know about this?”

“Y-Yes, father.” 

“Can you tell me more about his situation?”

“N-No, father.”

Hiashi scowled, but didn’t continue questioning her.

“You are both under house arrest until I know what’s going on. Dismissed.” 


	12. Chapter 12

San Francisco

“How was your day?” Hizashi asked his son on the way back from school. 

“It was all right, dad,” Neji replied, gazing out of the passenger window. Truthfully, Neji couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so mentally exhausted. _And that was only half as long as the school days usually are,_ he thought, discouraged. _And I have no idea how to get back to Konoha. No one else was brought here, and there’s no chakra to recreate Kabuto’s jutsu._

“You don’t _sound_ all right.”

“I’ll get through it.” 

Hizashi frowned and was about to reply when Neji spoke again.

“Do you know of any means to transport between worlds?”

“I’m no theoretical physicist, but perhaps something to do with black holes would work. Are you referring to multiverse theory?”

“Yes?”

“You’d have to ask someone else. I’m sure no one’s done it yet, otherwise we all would know.” Hizashi chuckled mildly, missing the look of despair that momentarily shadowed his son’s face. He pulled into the apartment driveway. 

“Well, time to get back to work,” Hizashi said after walking in and sitting down at a desk with a few devices on it. Neji didn’t feel like asking what they were, and walked silently to the kitchen, ate a bowl of cereal, and washed the bowl. He moved to

his room without paying much attention to anything and sat, cross-legged, on the floor, easily blanking his mind and losing himself to a quiet trance.

A few hours later, Neji emerged, feeling a bit more complacent in his situation. _There's no feasible way for me to return from this world, at least not for many years, but there's a chance that someone in Konoha will find a way to return me there. But even if not, I could learn to live here._

There was already enough to appreciate about his surroundings, and it was only his first day. He wouldn’t have to live with the knowledge that the next mission might be his last, or that eventually his friends and family would meet violent ends, or that his Main Branch relatives could kill him at any time.

On the other hand, he would definitely miss the thrill of overcoming an opponent in battle, and being able to use chakra and his dojutsu. Everything he had worked so diligently towards his entire life was meaningless here, and yet he didn’t feel upset. His father was alive and well. His friends still existed. Hell, he could even spar with Lee if he needed to fight someone. All that was required of him was a little adaptation.

It wouldn’t do for him to be out of practice if he was returned to the shinobi world, however, so Neji started into his kata, and practiced until he heard his name shouted from the other room.

“Nèji! Dinner!”


	13. Chapter 13

Konoha

Nèji and Hinata had been ushered out to their respective rooms once Hiashi had told a retainer that they were under house arrest for an indeterminate amount of time. Hiashi hadn’t told the guard why, even after she had hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with having to detain both the heir to the Main Branch and the clan prodigy without a reason. Hiashi’s reassuring smile had given her determination, however, and she had called in more guards to assist. It hadn’t been necessary. Nèji had walked slowly, as if he hadn’t known where his room was. She would ask the other guards if they had noticed anything unusual about him during her break.

\---

Meanwhile, Inoichi paced in front of the door to Tsunade’s office, barely hearing Shizune’s apologetic monologue from behind him.

“I’m sorry, figures she takes a few hours off when the village needs her most. You know her, working so hard so often, she needs a break every now and then. Can I get any of you something to drink in the meantime? Water, tea, sake? I even have a key to her personal brandy stash if it’s that bad. I shouldn’t have said that. Why are

you all here again? Right, confidential. She should be here in a few minutes. Am I rambling again? I’m rambling again.”

No one had been paying much attention. The chunin guards’ expressions were as stoic as always, though their stances had relaxed considerably. For the moment, their post was more secure than it would ever be.

Might Guy had been jogging in place with Lee for the past hour. Immediately after dropping Neji off at the hospital and informing Hinata that her cousin was in the hospital, he had run to the Hokage’s tower, hoping to notify Tsunade of his pupil’s recovery from Orochimaru and of his hospitalization. After seeing how she wasn’t in her office, he had decided to wait. Inoichi had burst into the room with the others after a few hours, clearly distraught. He had insisted on waiting for Tsunade before giving news about Neji’s condition, so Guy had started one of his exercise routines. Contrary to a popular rumor, Guy wasn’t like a shark, and wouldn’t die if he stopped moving. He thought that he might, though, if he stopped working out the constant flow of nervous energy he currently felt.

Shikaku Nara sat pensively. He had already gone through a hundred possibilities of what Inoichi could have seen that would have compelled him to bring so many people to Tsunade’s office with him. Kakashi was there most likely because he knew more jutsu than anyone else. Lee and Tenten were there because they knew Neji well and were the last to have seen him before Orochimaru captured him. Surely they had the necessary information to solve whatever was bothering Inoichi. Now they just had to wait for the Hokage.

The door opened, but it was not their leader who walked in. Hiashi Hyuuga strode purposefully to an empty spot to stand, correctly gathering that Tsunade was not in. Though he was not expressly invited to the meeting, no one would dare turn him away, nor could anyone present justify his _not_ being there. Surely at least one of Neji’s relatives should know what had happened, whatever it was, and who better than the clan head?

Ten more minutes passed before Tsunade walked in, looking haggard and as if she had been drinking earlier that day, though she immediately focused once seeing the people who gathered there. She beckoned the group into her office, shutting out the guards and Shizune, who wasn’t at all unhappy about taking her leave. Tsunade took a seat at her desk and gazed expectantly at the group.

Gai took the opportunity. “Lady Hokage, my team and I successfully returned Neji from Orochimaru and Kabuto, but he’s _changed_ in a way that could be important to the safety of the village.”

Inoichi started. “Physically, he appeared unharmed, even though his seal was gone. However, when I performed a mind evaluation, I saw that his life experience and personality was very different from what I knew about him, even though the framework of his thought processes and general intelligence were the same. This was reflected in the few sentences he had said before and after the procedure. The closest thing I can compare his mental transformation to was the case of two identical twins where one had been raised normally and the other had been abducted to serve as a soldier. Most importantly, I couldn’t understand almost half of his thoughts, though they seemed organized enough.”

“What do you mean, you couldn’t understand his thoughts?” Tsunade asked.

“Certain areas of his mind lit up normally, but I didn’t recognize any of the associations. For example, there were many places in his location memory, but nowhere I recognized, and the mental maps for the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hyuuga compound showed that this is the first time he’s been here to his memory. It’s as if all of his memories had been replaced.”

“How can Orochimaru do such a thing? If this is true, then he will pay for what he has done!” Rock Lee yelled, almost opening the first Gate right then and there if it wasn’t for a timely Shadow Possession from Shikaku. Tenten’s expression shifted from incredible worry to resolute anger, but she said nothing.

“It wasn’t just his mind they changed. I examined him at the compound, and all of his chakra lines had disappeared. I’ve never seen anything like it. The only people I’ve ever seen without chakra were dead.” Hiashi stated.

Shikaku muttered from the corner. “It’s not just a simple case of post-traumatic dress or retrograde amnesia. Let’s start from when he was captured.” He looked at Tenten.

“We were fighting them outside Orochimaru’s hideout. Kabuto asked about a new jutsu to try out. I didn’t see what Kabuto did, but I heard him shout ‘Hidden Jutsu: Universe Shift’ before Neji disappeared. Up to now I had thought it was just a transportation jutsu so that they could capture him.”

“None that I’ve ever heard. That’s a very interesting name for a move, though.” Kakashi said. “Assuming that he did create the jutsu himself, I think Kabuto would use a name that fits the effect.”

“Agreed. What did you see during the rescue?” Shikaku asked.

“He recognized Lee and I, but his vocal inflections were different than usual, and he seemed very relaxed, which is unlike him, especially considering the situation,” Guy said. 

“He didn't recognize me at all, even when I told him my name.” Kakashi offered.

A realization dawned on Inoichi just then. “Neji had told me something so strange that I thought he had gone mad, but now I'm not so sure. He claimed that he was a ‘different version’ from another universe. This has to relate to whatever jutsu Kabuto used!”

The room went silent for a moment as everyone processed his words. Tsunade gave a sly smile.

“Kakashi, how do you feel about a solo mission?”


	14. Chapter 14

San Francisco 

Neji had enjoyed the dinner immensely. Hizashi had kept the conversation light with a playful rant against his co-workers. The food had been interesting, as well--noodles in a tomato-based sauce, with garlic and vegetables he had never tried before. 

As he walked to his room for the night, Neji was dimly aware that he should be more worried about what his future held, but couldn’t bring himself to think about it. A rarely felt comfort, manifested from heavy food and light conversation, wrapped around him and carried him to his bed.

____

The same ringing noise as before shattered Neji’s dreamless sleep. He questioned, incoherently, what the benefits of an alarm were, and if there was a way to change the sound, before his hand hit the same button as yesterday. Again his attention was drawn to the rectangular device. It appeared to have a multitude of functions beyond just the alarm, so he pocketed it for later as he changed into clothes for the day. His closet had an overwhelming array of clothes. It didn’t escape Neji that the detail fit in with the idea of him--or, rather, the him that he replaced-- having an interest in fashion. Neither did the drawings that still lay on the desk. Sketches of different possible outfits on faceless figures lay on the desk. They were hastily drawn but still precise enough to be intelligible, as if the artist had focused more on getting a multitude of ideas onto paper than perfecting the details.

Neji chose the clothes most similar to the kind he had seen on other students the day before, jeans and a t-shirt. The curious device fit perfectly in his jeans pocket. He took his kunai from his jacket and carefully put them in his backpack, more for the gesture and sense of identity than for their potential use. Neji secured his forehead protector and adjusted his hair to make it somewhat less noticeable. Even then, the metal insignia of the Hidden Leaf Village glinted, a glaring reminder of the life he should be living. 

“First full day today!” Hizashi exclaimed in the car, clearly trying to provoke a reaction. Neji gave a small noise of agreement. He was only partly paying attention, as his eyes once again roamed the surrounding streets. A somewhat 

frightening-looking man wearing black leather held the hand of a softer-looking man wearing a suit. 

Hizashi glanced over at his son, quickly following his gaze(an impressive maneuver, considering the usual driving conditions in San Francisco). He raised one eyebrow and muttered something under his breath, discernable only due to Neji’s training in perception.

“I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised.” Hizashi turned away to glance in his car’s blind spot, but Neji was sure that his father wore a coy smile. 

Bewildered, Neji turned his attention back to the streets. The cryptic statement was all but forgotten as soon as Hizashi left him at the school gates with a “Have a good day!” 

\---

“Hey, Nèji, I heard the rumor, so do you mind telling me the truth so it won’t bother me?” Shikamaru asked after Neji sat down in his first period math class. “It doesn’t really matter to me, but I hate loose ends.”

“What rumor are you referring to?” 

Shikamaru gestured to Neji’s forehead. Neji sighed.

“Yes. I have a tattoo of sorts on my forehead.”

“Thanks.” There was a long pause before he spoke again.

“Can I see it?”

“No.”

\---

“Hey! Glaucoma!” someone shouted just as Neji walked into the gym locker room.

_ Must be someone else. Interesting name, though. _

“You! With the long hair! Eric’s  _ talking _ to you.” someone next to the first guy shouted. Neji turned to face them.

“Heard you like fashion! That’s  _ gay _ .” Eric said. He was fairly well-muscled and about a head taller than Neji. Eric gave Neji a shove, which Neji didn’t bother avoiding, seeing as the action was intended as a threat rather than an attack.  _ Never heard that as an insult before. _

“Clearly you have some issues that should be resolved. Perhaps talk to a counselor, or even one of your friends?”

Eric’s eyes flared with anger. “Do you want to take this outside?”

_ An amusing thought. But I don’t think a fight will work for what he’s dealing with. _

“I’d rather not.”

“Oh, you’d  _ rather not _ , would you.” Eric attempted another shove, but Neji easily sidestepped his hand.

“Guys! Please do not get into a fight on the second day of school!” Rock Lee’s distinctive half-shout rang throughout the locker room as he ran over, stepping between his friend and Eric.

“Who’s this? Your  _ boyfriend _ ?” Eric sneered.

“It is none of your business! But for your information we are just in the throes of youthful friendship!”

“Whatever you say.”

“I’ve heard enough! Just get changed, you three!” Might Guy yelled from his office on the other side of the locker room. Eric scowled and glared as Neji and Lee took the opportunity to return to their lockers.

“This isn’t over,” he muttered, keeping eye contact. Neji had to admire Eric’s resolve.  _ Then again, he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. _ The thought that Eric might eventually instigate a fight with him and Lee was rejuvenating, especially given that he would  _ certainly _ lose. Neji’s smile of anticipation collapsed as he saw his companion.

Lee was shaking in fury, his face contorted into pure rage. Steam radiated from his muscular chest, as Lee hadn't waited until changing into his gym shirt before exploding with anger. Neji took an instinctive leap backward, still half-expecting his friend to shout the name of a Gate. This caused him to crash into the student behind him, who toppled into his locker door and crumpled to the floor.

Lee didn't seem to notice.

“Do not pay attention to Eric! He is not worth the trouble! The best thing to do is to not let his comments bother you!” he roared.

“I'm okay. Lee! I'm fine. Just...calm down. I think you're more affected by him than I am--”

“If he says anything like that again I'll fight him myself!”

“That won't be necessary--”

“How long has this been going on?” Lee’s voice had lowered a few decibels, from “all-out roar” to “concerned bellow”. 

“Can you quiet down?”

“Not if you don't tell me how long!”

“This is the first time.”

Those seemed to be the magic words, because Lee simmered down almost immediately.

“I won't let it happen again, then.” Lee put on his gym shirt. Now late to class, they both jogged out the locker room doors.

“Sorry,” Neji muttered to the unconscious student behind him as they left.

Only one other person was left in the locker room--Eric, phone in hand, the past few minutes captured in one glorious video.


	15. Chapter 15

**Konoha**

For the second time in his life, Nèji found himself prostrate in front of his uncle. This time, Hiashi seemed more curious than concerned. He had dismissed his retainers as soon as Nèji and Hinata had walked in, and gave a grim smile in reply to Nèji’s “Lord Hiashi”.

“I know that you don’t consider me your lord, Neji. If that’s even your name.”

A chill ran down Nèji’s spine. Hinata froze next to him in fear.

“F-Father! How can you  _ say _ that?”

“I have been made aware of Neji’s current situation. Nothing’s wrong with his memory. This boy is a different person than your cousin.”

“I’m right here, you know. And Nèji  _ is _ my name. It’s just spelled with an  _ accent grave _ on the E. But you’re right.” He turned to Hinata, who had turned paper-white. 

“I’m a version of your cousin from a parallel universe. I’d guess that your cousin Neji--spelled without the accent--has taken my place there, if movies have taught me anything.”

“Breathe, Hinata.” Hizashi commanded, alarmed. Hinata had swayed to the left dangerously. She gasped, and her face turned slightly less pale.

“It’s confidential, but I feel as though I should tell you that steps are being taken in order to return you back to your home and our Neji back to us.”

Nèji grinned with relief.

“However, the process of obtaining the information and performing the jutsu will take time, around three to four months. During that time, you will not be able to go on missions or leave the village.”

“That’s fine. From what I can tell, I don’t think I’d be able to do them anyway.”

“One final piece of advice,” Hiashi whispered, “I would be very careful in this compound, if I were you. You are allowed to stay here for however long it takes, but if the elders were to find out that the Side Branch prodigy was missing his seal, or that an outsider was impersonating a Hyuuga, there’s very little I can do. And the Hyuuga are known for their perception.”

Nèji’s heart pounded in his chest as he left the room. He gave a weak smile to Shirudo the guard as they left the compound, too anxious to speak. Hinata said nothing until they were a few blocks from the gate.

“Do you think...my cousin will be all right?” She murmured.

“Yeah. It’s a lot safer where I’m from. Even if everyone’s suspicious of him, there’s almost no way he could die in the span of three months, especially if he’s as strong as everyone else is around here.”

“You said ‘almost’.” Hinata looked directly at him.

“I mean, he could get shot or hit by a car or something. But I don’t want to be too morbid. He’ll be fine. Unless…” Nèji trailed off.

“Unless?”

“No, it’s unlikely. Three months isn’t very long.”

“Tell me.” Hinata kept eye contact.

“If he doesn’t know that there’s a way to get back home, and he feels completely isolated from everyone and everything, there’s a chance, well, that he kills himself.”

“Neji wouldn’t do that!” Hinata’s voice held no trace of a stammer.

“I’m glad.” He was. Hinata paused.

“Would you?”

He hesitated, ever so slightly. “Of course not. I know that there's a way back.”

“That's not the real danger, then, is it?” Hinata gave a pointed look at Nèji’s metal-banded forehead. 

“Isn't the worst thing that can happen them giving me the seal, which is just a tattoo?”

“I think if you act enough like my cousin, the elders would give you the seal instead of thinking that you're a spy, in which case they'd kill you immediately.” Nèji gulped. Hinata continued.

“It's not just a tattoo. Receiving it is an excruciating and traumatizing process, but its real purpose is to control the Side Branch of the clan. If you have the seal, a member of the Main Branch can torture you to the point of death any time they like, given the right reason.”

Hinata paused, allowing Nèji to sit down heavily on a nearby bench. The thought of a group of people having that kind of control over him didn’t make sense to him, to the core of his being. He tried to focus. He had to understand the information necessary to prevent this at  _ all costs _ , but he could only comprehend Hinata’s words and not their meaning. His mind created distractions until the idea seemed like a bad dream, safe and unreal. 

He  _ was _ vaguely aware that the idea cast light on an earlier conversation he had with her, though he couldn’t remember what they had said. 

“The constant threat of pain and death takes a toll on all of the Side Branch members, even after a short while. I've seen the effects such an experience has on people close to me…” She trailed off. Against his will, Nèji’s mind displaced the thought of the seal onto her cousin, a projection light-years away.

“Did your cousin handle it well?”

“I think he hates what the seal represents more than he was traumatized by the process. He was more damaged by his father’s sacrifice than the seal, but he associates the two together.” 

Nèji was able to comprehend death, unlike his own possible confinement. 

“How did Hiashi die?” It was easier to ask than he would’ve guessed.  __

“He chose to be killed in order to prevent a war. My cousin thought for years that he didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

“Oh.” 

They sat in silence and watched the sky turn a deep scarlet before walking back to the compound.

“I have a mission starting tomorrow, so I won’t be here. Good luck until I return. Good night, Nèji.”

“Good night.” Hinata’s door closed, leaving Nèji more alone than he had ever felt. He took a grim solace in the purity of the emotion.

_ Three months minus a day.  _ Nèji repeated the thought over and over in his mind until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would change this chapter if I had written it now. I had created this before I had some more context and knowledge about mental health. I didn't intend to make light of depression in Hinata's and Neji's conversation in this chapter, and I apologize if it came across that way.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Spanish in this chapter is bad, partially because I didn't ask a fluent speaker to edit this, partially because I feel that I can justify it by claiming that they're in a second-year Spanish class. :)

**San Francisco**

“Hey, guys!” Tenten greeted as Neji and Lee walked into the courtyard after their class.

“Hello, Tenten.” Neji nodded, and made an effort to smile wider than usual.

“Are you feeling better?” 

“Yes, I am. I was a bit overwhelmed yesterday.” 

Tenten smiled thoughtfully before talking to Lee. “Did you catch the Giants game last night?”

“Yes! Mad-Bum pitched a great game! And how about that clutch triple play Posey had in the ninth!”

Neji tuned them out. He absently checked to see if his kunai were still in his backpack, and took one out, inspecting it.

Tenten glanced at him, her eyes widening.

“Is that what I think it is? A 12-inch full-tang carbon-steel tempered kunai?” she gushed.

“I...suppose. It’s a kunai.” He slowly ran his thumb along the blade to test its sharpness. “Never got around to measuring it, though.” 

“I doubt that very much!” Lee called, a mischievous glint in his eyes. For whatever reason, Tenten blushed. 

“If I had to guess, I’d say this was more like ten inches, base to tip.” Tenten’s face flamed even redder. Lee chuckled. 

“Anyway,” Tenten’s voice cracked, “Maybe you shouldn’t go around showing that off. No-weapons policy and all that.”

“And public indecency!” Lee laughed louder than Neji had thought possible, even from him. Tenten pretended to not have heard.

_ I wonder if I’ll ever know what’s going on. _

“Tenten,” Neji asked once Lee’s laughter subsided and Tenten’s face returned to its normal color, “How would you cover up a s-- a tattoo?”

“Is this related to the rumor I heard? Actually, wait, you don’t have to answer that. I would try concealer first, I guess. Want me to get you some?”

“That’d be kind of you. Sure.” Neji didn’t add that he didn’t know what concealer was.

“No problem.” 

The bell rang. His next classes awaited him.

\---

Neji’s Advanced English class wasn’t very difficult, though it was fairly dull. It didn’t help matters that he was used to a more active learning environment. Guy didn’t mess around with anything less than raw physical effort and life-or-death strategies, which made it difficult to focus on the lecture on misplaced modifiers and other grammatical errors. 

His next class was, conversely, both interesting and very difficult. His teacher spoke for a few minutes on the May AP US History exam before starting the lecture. Apparently the teacher expected the first chapter to be a review, because the presentation slides moved far too quickly for him to take notes. 

_ Something about Puritans? The Reformation? Europe? What is the Church of England? What is “Protestant”? _

It seemed as though every other word involved some far-reaching concept. He was able to piece together that, for some religious reason, people left a place called England to create 13 colonies, which would eventually create the nation where he currently lived. The other details covered in the lecture--and there were  _ many _ \--didn’t really stick in his memory, though everyone else in the class nodded along with the teacher.  _ I suppose I’ll read the textbook, then. _ Neji didn’t relish the thought--he was never that good at learning through texts.

“Read the first two chapters by tomorrow, and don’t forget, there will be our first free-response essay on Thursday!”

_ Wonderful. _

\---

“ _ ¿Como fue tu verano? _ ” Shikamaru asked 30 minutes later. Neji’s Spanish teacher had apparently instructed the class to talk for a while  _ en español _ .

“What?”

“Come on, Neji. It’s the second day of school. At least look like you’re trying,” Shikamaru teased. “Unless you’ve forgotten the past year of this class and whatever rudimentary Spanish you’ve picked up from living in California.” 

“Joke’s on you, Nara. I haven’t learned a single word of Spanish in my life.” Neji spoke with the raw confidence of truth. He felt a modest surge of self-doubt after a moment, however, deliberating the possible line of questions his statement could bring.

Shikamaru’s eyes flashed from stunned, to confused, to deliberative, as though he couldn’t quite figure out if Neji was joking based on his delivery, even if the words were obviously humorous. The indecision lasted only a fraction of a second before Shikamaru chuckled.

“The way you said my last name made you sound like a...like a Bond villain or something.” His eyes glinted with mirth.

Ino looked over from her conversation with Choji and caught  _ something _ in Shikamaru’s expression, because her eyebrows rose in surprise. Strangely, she said nothing, but turned back towards Choji.

Shikamaru cleared his throat. “Anyway.  _ ¿Como fue tu verano? _ ”...

Neji looked at him blankly.

“All right then. Whatever.”

…

“All right,  _ clase _ ,  _ sacar sus teléfonos y describirlos a su vecino _ ,” the teacher declared. “ _ ¡Quiero escuchar adjetivos! _ ” 

Nearly the whole class simultaneously pulled out similar rectangular gadgets reminiscent of the one Neji held in his pocket.  _ Strange. These devices are ubiquitous and apparently integral to these people’s lives, if the teacher is asking us to describe them on the second day of class.  _ He took out his phone and looked at it for a while before turning around to face Team 10. 

Shikamaru gave a short spiel about the various features and physical qualities of his phone in Spanish, though Neji only understood what he said from his accompanying gestures and from the obvious similarities between a few of the words to English. Shikamaru looked at him, bored and expectant.

“I don’t know what this is,” Neji said.

Shikamaru laughed, louder than he had earlier. He stopped himself, only to start again after seeing Neji’s profoundly confused frown.

“It’s an iPhone.  _ El teléfono.”  _ He paused, his chuckles quieting. “You feeling okay?”

“Yes. It’s just that...this is new.” Neji gestured to his phone.  _ New to me, at least _ .

“Well, go ahead, press the button. See what it does.” 

Neji pressed the button. A series of numbers in a grid pattern appeared on the screen.

“Okay. Now unlock it.”

Neji looked at him blankly. Shikamaru sighed.

“Here, let me see.” Shikamaru looked at the phone from a sideways angle before pressing the “3” button four times.

“You should probably get a new password. I got that just from the fingerprints.” He handed the phone back. A colorful grid of captioned shapes stared at him above four more prominent symbols.

“What do I do?”

“I swear, you’re just like my mom. What do you  _ want _ to do?”

“Can you give me some options?”

“Well, you can call or text someone--you know, have a conversation with someone across any distance! What a world we live in. Or you can play games. Or go on the Internet--or the interwebs, as you’d call it because you’re apparently 82 years old. Or you can  _ escuchar música.” _

Enthralled by the possibilities, Neji paid no attention to the sarcasm, and tapped various symbols to try to figure out how the device worked. Shikamaru looked vaguely concerned, but didn’t say what what was on his mind, even after the bell rang.


	17. Chapter 17

Konoha

Having no sort of alarm or timepiece to speak of in his room, Nèji guessed that he woke up the next morning at around 10, as he usually would when he wasn’t sleep-deprived. The amount of light that filtered through his window seemed to support his hypothesis.

_ Shit. When does this guy normally wake up? Should’ve asked Hinata when I had the chance! Though if he trains a lot he’s probably one of those pretentious “I run five miles at dawn every morning” types. Ugh. Maybe I can just play it cool. _

He decided against lingering at the compound, especially after finding a stash of what had to be currency on top of the wardrobe. 

_ Does this guy only wear the same two outfits? There’s nothing here but like 8 pairs of the same robes and the jacket-shorts combo.  _

_...I know what I’m going to do today. _

Nèji tried not to draw attention to himself as he left the compound. Shirudo, like always, stood next to the gate.

“Late morning, Neji?” he asked.

“Don’t you know it!” Nèji said with a wink. Shirudo blushed lightly before giving a small chuckle.

“I didn’t expect that from you,” he said.

“There’s a lot more of me that you might not expect.”

"You’re in quite a mood today.”

“Perhaps. What about you? How goes the shift?”

Shirudo raised an eyebrow.  “You’ve never asked me how I’m doing before.”

Nèji paused. His heart broke a little.  “Really?”

“Really. But I’m doing well enough.”

“Well, things change. And good to hear.”

“That they do.”

“See you ‘round?”

“I’ll be here.” 

__

The food in the Hidden Leaf seemed, if not entirely Japanese, certainly Asian-inspired. The village atmosphere, as well, from the stylings of the buildings to the occasional red Japanese lettering, reminded him of certain parts of his home city, and gave him a feeling of adventure, of trying something new.

Most of the villagers seemed to recognize him, if they didn’t know his name. At least one glanced sorrowfully at his metal-clad forehead for an instant before turning away in shame.

The restaurant Nèji ended up walking into mainly served ramen, but he decided on miso soup. It was a traditional breakfast food in Japan, so maybe it would be here. He had never had miso for breakfast before, but it was delicious. The chef was truly talented. His apprentice was easy on the eyes, as well.

“Isn’t it a little late to be eating breakfast? I saw your teammates in here three hours ago,” the chef inquired.

“I decided to take the day off.”

“Is everything all right? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you take a day off.”  _ Whoops. _

“Yeah. Uh...Hiashi’s orders. You know. Clan dynamics and all that.”

The chef nodded. “Sure.” _ Nice save. Way to pull it back.  _ “You kids work too hard as it is. Give yourselves a break once in a while, you hear?”

“Sure thing.” 

Nèji left the restaurant, content and full. Now to solve a  _ vital _ problem.

...The problem being, of course, his wardrobe.

__

Six hours and countless  _ ryo _ later, Nèji was finally content with what he had to wear for the next few months. The Hidden Leaf actually hadn’t lacked for interesting clothing options once he got past the countless shinobi-equipment stores. Certainly, the villagers weren’t afraid of bold colors and showing some skin.

On a whim, he also bought himself a pad of drawing paper and a few pencils.  _ Maybe the other Neji won’t appreciate the dent in his wallet, but sometimes you just have to do things for yourself, you know? Treat yo’self! No use getting bored and depressed while I’m here,  _ he thought, with some desperation. 

He had a couple hours to kill before getting back to the compound for dinner. He found himself walking streets which grew ever more shadowed, ever quieter, until he realized that he was alone. 

Nèji stood in front of an open wrought-iron gate emblazoned with a symbol of a fan. Buildings stood in a familial huddle within its walls, much like in the Hyuuga compound. No one stood watch. No one was there at all. It was a seashell, a beautiful home of long-dead creatures.

Nèji started to walk through it, silent, as he would in a cemetery. 

He left. 

___

Nèji wasn’t looking forward to eating with his extended family. Neither Hizashi nor Hinata would be there, and he would be on edge the entire time trying to act like someone he had never met and, from what he knew about his double, wasn’t sure he even  _ liked _ . 

Fortunately, he didn’t have to. An excuse found him as he passed a barbecue restaurant, in the form of Rock Lee, Tenten, and Might Guy. They looked like they had been through the flames of hell, but all three noticed him immediately and waved him closer. Guy offered a flashing grin.

“Why, if it isn’t my star pupil!” Guy half-shouted, which was his regular speaking voice. His eyes, for a instant, seemed almost  _ anxious,  _ but they immediately lapsed into a sort-of smile, with almost no trace of a guard. Almost.

“Why, if it isn’t my...teacher!” Nèji replied, unnerved but unwilling to show it. Lee and Tenten gave each other a nervous glance, their smiles sticking to their faces.

“What’s wrong? What happen--”

“Nèji! Would you like to eat dinner with us?” Lee interrupted. Nèji noticed that Lee had angled himself slightly in front of himself, subtly barring forwards movement. Lee’s eyes made it clear that the affirmative was the only action.

“Sure,” he said.

Guy gave a nod. In a fraction of a second, Nèji realized that he was airborne, flying upwards at a jarring speed. His breath was knocked out of him, so his startled yelp was quieted. 

He was on a roof near the restaurant. Guy, Lee, and Tenten stood next to him, unharried by the leap. Nèji’s heart pounded from the adrenaline, so he gasped a little and tried to look away from the edge of the roof. His friends and teacher stared at him. Away from the public eye, their smiles were gone, replaced by suspicion and worry.

“We know what’s happened, Nèji. And what’s at stake for you if you don’t tread lightly.” Guy muttered.

“Oh! Okay. You mean me being from another world and all that. And the seal.”

“Yes.”

“You can count on us to not give you away.” Lee looked like it pained him to keep the passion of the statement without its usual volume.

“And if there’s anything we can do, just give the word,” Tenten said. 

“Okay.”

“The dinner offer still holds, by the way.”

“Sweet.”

___


	18. Chapter 18

**San Francisco**

“Something on your mind?” Shikaku Nara asked his son, who was currently gazing at the roast chicken on their dinner table. Yoshino glanced at Shikamaru. When he didn’t respond, she shared an empathic look with her husband. When Shikamaru  _ still _ didn’t respond, she silently moved to cut herself a piece of chicken, occasionally glancing back at her son in encouragement.

“Yeah,” he said eventually. Yoshino and Shikaku resisted the urge to roll their eyes and sigh, respectively. Their son was a lot of things, but  _ open _ was not necessarily one of them.

“Do you mind telling us?” Shikaku asked.

Another drawn-out minute passed. If he didn’t know his son better, Shikaku might have guessed that he had offended him.

“Do you know if anything happened to the Hyuugas over the summer?”

Yoshino could have wept.  _ Finally _ they were getting somewhere. 

“Not as far as I know,” she said, wishing she knew more about the Hyuugas than their names. Her son had mentioned the family maybe twice in his life. 

Shikaku shook his head.

“Why do you ask?” Yoshino racked her brain for the names. “Is everything all right with Nèji and Hinata?”

“I think Hinata’s fine. I’m not sure about Nèji. He’s acting...off. Distracted. He can’t remember stuff and acts a lot quieter than he used to. I’m don’t know whether I can help him somehow.” He didn’t mention the tattoo or some of the more  _ questionable _ things Neji had said over the past two days.

Shikaku pondered this. “I think those could mean many different things, and not all of them are necessarily bad. I can’t say I know your friend well enough to give you the solution.”

“Maybe ask him if something’s wrong?” Yoshino asked.

“I tried that.”

“Talk to him more, I guess. You’re welcome to invite him over one of these days if you want,” Yoshino’s eyes twinkled mischievously, “After doing all of your studies and chores.”

“Yoshino…”

“Mom…!”

“You heard me. Now who’s going to help with the dishes?”

__

“Hey,” Shikamaru drawled as Neji took his seat in their precalculus class. 

“Hey.” Neji looked fairly tired, but then again, so did every high school and college student in the United States.

“How’s your day been so far?”

If Neji was suspicious at Shikamaru’s uncharacteristic enthusiasm, he didn’t show it.

“It’s been all right. I was up late last night reading the AP U.S. History textbook.”

“Yeah, APUSH is kind of a drag. I have it second period.”

“I have a few questions, then.”

“Sure. Maybe hold off until after the lecture.” 

So Neji waited until the teacher had discussed the Law of Sines and Law of Cosines and their geometric proofs and given out the assigned problems before turning back to Shikamaru.

He asked what he thought were intelligent and far-reaching questions about the assigned reading, but Shikamaru looked at him with slightly odder expressions after each one.

“Nèji, don’t take this the wrong way, but…”

“What?”

“...How are you in  _ AP  _ US History if you don’t know who  _ George Washington _ is?”

Neji stared at him blankly. Shikamaru held the gaze for a while, but eventually shifted his eyes downwards a little to break the spell. He pressed onwards.

“Is this related to Spanish class yesterday? The memory thing?” 

_ Decisions. If I tell him the truth, he’s not likely to believe me, and he may think I’ve lost my mind. He’s probably halfway there already, so not much of a loss. If I don’t, I should probably find a reasonable excuse very soon, so that he’ll still talk to me. If I make a bad excuse here, then I might as well have told him the truth. I’d rather him think I was a little insane based on the truth than a lie.  _

To avoid further limiting his options, Neji tried to think of a more palatable reason to be acting so strangely, but for the life of him, he could not.  _ One option then. _

“Yes, it is. I can explain.”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

“It’s going to be difficult for me to explain this without you questioning my sanity.”

“Oh, really? Try me.” 

“I’m assuming you know of multiverse theory? Where there are an infinite number of parallel universes?” 

Neji had spent a long time on his phone the night before in addition to his studies. After pressing the “Safari” application, he had typed in “multiverse theory” and spent a few hours trying to figure out what exactly had occurred to send him to this place.

“Yeah, I’ve heard about it.” Shikamaru looked downright  _ curious _ now.

“Two days ago I was transported here from one of those parallel worlds, and this world’s Neji was sent there.”

An extended pause. Shikamaru looked like he was trying not to show any expression, but his eyes went through the world and back.

“That does make me question your sanity a little bit, so you were right about that,” Shikamaru finally said, but he didn’t make any approach to leave. “Unless you’re joking, in which case, you really have the deadpan delivery down.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Wow. Okay. I don’t really know how to react to this.”

“You could try asking questions. Maybe I can prove it somehow.”

“I feel like it’s impossible to actually  _ prove _ , but I could be convinced. Describe the world where you come from.”

“It’s one continent containing several different Lands, which are probably equivalent to countries. I’m from the Land of Fire, more specifically the Village Hidden  in the Leaves. Many of the villages, including that one, rely on a socio-military complex for their economies, composed of  _ shinobi _ \--”

“Hold up. Your villages are made up of  _ ninja _ ?”

“Is that so strange?”

“Yeah, kinda--you know what, maybe we can continue this discussion another time.” Shikamaru started to put away his textbook and other materials into his backpack, though there were still a few minutes left in class. He left, walking past the teacher’s “Class isn’t over yet!” into the hallway.


	19. Chapter 19

**Konoha**

So far, the food at the barbecue restaurant had been delicious. Gai and the rest of Team 9 had been uncharacteristically reticent, apparently unsure of how to treat the newcomer in their midst with anything other than furtive glances.

_ Time to liven things up. _

Nèji hesitated. His idea was terrible, as amusing as it was.  _ Lee would see the humor in it. Or would he? And this is kind of illegal, but they haven't made much of an effort to talk to me, and they were kind of rude, hurling me to the roof like that.  _

“Excuse me,” he said, causing the group to look up from their food. Guy gave a consenting nod. Nèji picked up his water glass and walked in the direction of the restroom, but made a turn into an unoccupied booth seat.  _ Perfect.  _ A bottle of sake that he had spotted earlier still rested on the uncleared table. 

He poured the sake into his glass and returned to the table.

Guy, Lee, and Tenten looked up simultaneously from where they had been muttering to each other in hushed voices. Tenten avoided eye contact.  _ For being ninja, they’re pretty bad at hiding how they were just talking about me behind my back. _

Nèji felt a little more justified for what he was about to do.

“Hey, Lee,” he said, after an awkward pause. “I dare you to try one of these peppers.” Nèji put one of the peppers from his meal on Lee’s plate. He hadn’t touched them after feeling his eyes water from their smell alone.

With no hesitation, Lee speared the pepper and ate it. Five seconds passed before Lee grabbed his water glass and downed it. Another ten passed, and Tenten’s and Guy’s were also emptied. Another five…

Lee reached for Nèji’s water glass and drained it as well.

In San Francisco, Nèji had only seen his friend drunk once, at a small party his classmate Kiba had hosted. Kiba’s parents had let the partygoers drink in moderation, claiming that at least they could limit the amount consumed, and keep them from 

driving. No one suspected how out-of-control Lee got after one glass. Nèji didn’t remember most of the details, but he vaguely recalled Kiba’s parents permanently banning Lee from their house. 

_ If he reacts in a similar way, maybe they’ll loosen up around me a bit. At the very least, this should be entertaining. _

Lee’s face turned very red. “Thatshhh shum funnny-tasting wahter,” he slurred.

“Nèji,” Guy said menacingly. “What have you done?”

_ Admittedly, I could’ve thought about this a bit more. _

Lee stood up, swaying heavily. “How-hic-daare youu!” he cried to Nèji. “Thaat washn’t waater at all!”

_ No shit. _

“I...suppose it wasn’t.”

Without warning, Lee reached across the table, grabbed Nèji’s throat, and flung him to the floor. 

“Geee, Nehgee, I thoughtt youu would defend yourshelf a little betterr.”

Tenten pulled a scroll from somewhere, using it to summon a lasso. She flung it at Lee with perfect accuracy, but Lee easily evaded it, causing the lasso to knock over a wine bottle from an adjacent table.

Guy tried next, attempting to put Lee in a hold, but Lee was slippery as water and quickly retaliated. Guy fell back on his taijutsu, but, fast as it was, none of his attacks seemed to land. Even so, Nèji found it rather incredible to watch, though he remained a little dazed from his landing on the floor.

“I could use a little help,” Guy said calmly, as if he wasn’t locked in the most astounding hand-to-hand battle Nèji had ever seen.

“Aren’t you gonna help him?” someone asked from two tables over. He turned around and saw, of all people, his classmates Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji sitting together at a booth. 

“What?”

“Your sensei over there asked for help,” Choji clarified.

“Uh, I would, but…” Nèji trailed off.

“Guess we gotta do everything ourselves.” Shikamaru said, leaving the booth and crouching.

“What are you doing?” Nèji asked. Shikamaru ignored him.

“I need them separated so I don’t pin the wrong person,” he said. “Can you stop Lee for half a second?”

Nèji grinned, a half-formed idea already in his mind.  _ This might not work at all, but what the hell, I’ve always wanted to be a distraction! _

In one swift moment, Nèji did three things.

He stepped onto Team 10’s table from Shikamaru’s seat.

He shouted “Hey, GUYS!”

And he ripped off his shirt as sensually as possible.

_ Everyone _ in the room stopped to stare at Nèji. Tenten blushed furiously and barely stopped herself from tripping over her own lasso. Choji and Guy looked away bashfully. Shikamaru remembered his plan after a second and created a tendril of shadow to trap Lee where he stood. It turned out to be a pointless gesture, because Lee had stilled as soon as he saw his friend, apparently sobering up in the span of a second.

Nèji gave him a wink, and narcissistically relished the deep red that covered Lee’s face.

_ And I thought  _ Americans _ were prudish. _

“That seemed to solve  _ that _ problem,” Nèji said. “I’ll show myself out.” He put his shirt back on and started towards the door.

Guy put a stack of  _ ryo _ on the table and followed, dragging Tenten and Lee with him. 

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji looked at each other.

“Did that just happen?” Choji asked.

“Mhmmmm...”

“ _ Ino!” _


	20. Chapter 20

**San Francisco**

The rest of Neji’s day was relatively uneventful, except that Tenten had given him what seemed to be some sort of tinted face product during their break. 

Shikamaru was polite and aloof during their Spanish class. He leaned back in his chair, appearing comfortable and detached. 

Neji noticed how, in contrast to his lackadaisical body, Shikamaru’s eyes dashed towards everything and everyone in the room. 

Shikamaru had a few habits that Neji discovered after spending missions with him in the past. Obviously, when he was strategizing, Shikamaru would put his hands in a circle and shut his eyes. If that wasn’t prudent, he would stare at his target, his goal in mind, as his mind would create countless strategies. Shifting his eyes around could mean that he didn’t even know where to start on a problem.

It was all speculation, really. 

_ Maybe I should mind my own business. _

___

“Hey, Neji, you like this band, right?” Shikamaru asked Neji the following morning. Of course he liked them. Shikamaru made sure of that the night before through some good ol’ Facebook stalking. 

“Who are they?”

Shikamaru had to force his smile a little more.

“They’re a band.”

“Oh.” 

Neji had never heard of them. The only music he had heard in this world were the songs that Hizashi played on their drive to school, and the only music he had heard before then was played by the instrumentalists at the occasional clan function. 

“ Well, they have a concert this weekend. I scored an extra ticket, if you want to go.” Neji didn’t have to know that he had bought both tickets himself.

Neji nodded.  “Okay.”

“Here, give me your number or whatever so we can meet at the BART station.”  Shikamaru held out his phone. 

“What do you mean?”

Shikamaru sighed. “Your  _ phone _ number.”

Nèji looked at him blankly. “I don’t know it.”

“Fine, then just give me your phone.”

He did.

“Do you know how to text?”

“I’ve never tried.”

“This button. Go nuts. And you should probably reply to your friends-- it says you have twenty notifications.” 

Neji raised an eyebrow.  “And you said we were to meet at a...BART station?”

“Yeah, I was thinking Powell Street.”

Shikamaru continued after seeing Neji’s blank expression.

“Just use Maps or something.” 

Neji still looked confused.

“BART is the system of electric trains that runs through the Bay Area. It’s just a way we can get to Oakland. And if you’re gonna be this weird all the time I might retract my offer.”

Neji didn’t look concerned at that last statement. Shikamaru couldn’t decide whether Neji could tell that he wouldn’t retract it, or if he didn’t care either way. Both options startled him.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are welcome, but keep in mind that I likely will never finish this story. Feel free to think about or add your own conclusions if you want.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
